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I thought I was dreaming,
Of big green fields
It was in her eyes that I was seeing
I had been restless, now I was awake.
Oh, it wasn’t a daze.
Although it felt like a craze.
It was that summer feeling.
It was that summer kind of feeling.
The warmth of a hazy summer.
Oh, it wasn’t a daze.
As the next song played, she sang. Her voice was like nails scratching down my back in the most pleasurable way. The lyrics were about life being a test and wanting things you couldn’t have. My eyes flickered between her green ones that stayed narrowed on me and her lips as they moved.
She sang from the heart and all it did was pull me closer. My heart picked up as I stepped closer. I needed it, to hear her sing. She didn’t stop as I got closer to her face either. In the past, she would’ve stepped back. She would’ve stopped singing. She would’ve fucking looked away.
Something.
Anything.
But Betty held her ground until all I could do was reach my hand behind her neck, grab a fist full of hair to pull her head back and towards me. It’s not that I wanted to shut her up, I had this overwhelming desire and didn’t know what to do. I needed a moment to think without her voice filling my ears and it was the only thing I could think to do.
It made no fucking sense.
CHAPTER SEVEN
BETTY
I leaned up against the foam-covered wall and crossed my arms. It was only last month that I helped my dad put up new material to better soundproof the garage. It was right after we found out the band was coming home for the summer, and I knew they would need the rehearsal space. I spent every day off for the next two weeks clearing it out, because it had become storage space, so we could get it ready. Not that I would let the guys know.
I wasn’t ever a member of the band, but I cared. Even though it was ultimately my decision to leave LA as they were getting noticed, I cared. I didn’t want to leave, but I think their manager was right. I wasn’t ready.
It took a while for it to click. The guy had been an asshole on his delivery, but it was awakening. There was some truth behind it. I needed to experience a little more life and heartbreak first. Hell, I’d barely graduated high school and expected to conquer the world without knowing what the world was about.
When I first came home, I sulked for the first two weeks. Then I got my old after-school job at the diner back and continued to pout for a couple of months. It wasn’t until I started going to the Rollerama that it sort of clicked.
They were playing a Hazy Summer single over the speakers, and I got angry. I stormed right up to the owner wanting to tell him to pick something else to play but demanded a job instead. The words that came out of my mouth that evening surprised even me. Apparently, I needed to be around their music.
Like a love-hate relationship. I wanted them to succeed, but I was pissed I wasn’t with them. It was a combination of wanting to be there to support them and feel included. It was never about me, though.
“Sis.” Steven walked in and looked around. “Dad wasn’t kidding, this place looks great.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
It was true. My eyes looked over the space, and it brought a smile to my face. The wall had been painted a dark blue that was left over from when Mom wanted to update the shutters on the house. Then, when she wanted to update the carpet in the house, I convinced Dad to tell the contractor to save a couple of the larger pieces of scraps. We laid out the old brown shaggy carpet that had been worn down some.
Two couches were placed near the front corner with a solid round table between them. I left some empty notebooks and pencils on the table, imagining the song writing that could take place here.
Steven carried his amp and bass guitar case across the room to where Dean was helping Andrew move his drums in place. Mick arrived next, guitar case in one hand and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Howard was the last to arrive, and he took the most time setting up his keyboard. I’m pretty sure it was because he was hungover though.
An assortment of noises came from across the room as everyone messed with buttons and knobs on their equipment to get everything adjusted and ready.
